SHE- Screw Silence! By Reecha Agarwal Goyal | Book Review

We are fortunate that we came across a different kind of books and get a chance to explore them. Of course, there are certain genres we explicitly avoid. And, not all books we came across are worth a review to share. But, we got lucky more often than not. Most of the books we read have a substance.

Recently we came across a book named SHE- Screw Silence! by author Reecha Agarwal Goyal. We are thankful to Fingerprint! publishing for providing a review copy of this book. From our team, I got a chance to read it. And, here are my unbiased and uninfluenced views for the same.

A talking cover page can highly influence purchase and/or reding decisions for sure. Of course, there are a lot of other factors to be considered. But, no one can deny the influence of the first impression created by the cover page.

SHE- Screw Silence! By Reecha Agarwal Goyal | Book Cover

The cover designer has to work on integrating and elaborating “She” and “Screw Silence” segments of the book title effectively. An illustration of a female face where her finger is put on her lips to show the sign of “silence please”; conveys it all, quite effectively. You can find white, black and pink colors dominating the cover page (and the book too).

The cover page is interesting and welcoming.

The Book and What We Think Of It

Usually, when we talk about a book we give a bird’s eye view of the plot (in a segment) and then share our views in a separate segment. Based on the nature of this book, we are merging both these segments here.

First thing first, the book. is not for everyone. If you are looking for a book having a traditional structure where a story is explored, you will be disappointed.

This book is a collection of various textual blocks (they are not poems, nor idioms). Each of them is a few lines long. Some of them consist of just two lines while others are bigger comparatively. But none of them is more than 3/4 size of the page.

So, the book has nothing to offer?

Well, each of these small segments explores a small tale. Sometimes it is just a thought, sometimes it is a lesson to learn and sometimes it is an entire story weaved in that small segment! In those senses, you can consider it as a short story collection.

It is a collection of various feelings and emotions the author is going through at various times and places. She tried to pen-down them and convey them in a non-structured yet emotional manner.

Some of the segments are really beautiful that you may want to poster them on the wall.

You have to read them very carefully and attentively to link with the real-life incidents you might have came across. Here is a very short story from the book which explores the traditional conversation and people’s mindset.

The mother smiled a beatific smile
every time someone said,
“Your daughter looks just like you.”

It had been seven years since she had adopted her.

See, how beautifully the author gave a twist to the tale in the last line and in a destroyed the orthodox mentality.

As the title suggests the book has some rebellious thoughts. And, sometimes you may think that whether on the track of feminism is it crossing the boundaries? However, once you read all the segments you will realize that the author tries to elaborate the contribution of the “female” members in the society on the whole. Now, the way of the representation might be different from what the reader might have expected, the intent is pure.

The following lines reminded me of a fantastic short story by Smt. Sudha Murty I got a chance to read recently, A Woman’s Ritual.

She lit the funeral pyre of her dad.
How could she let him down in
his last hour?
He, who had always told her there
was nothing she could not do that
a son could.

The change cannot be done overnight? Are you sure? Well, someone needs to start. And, this change is already welcomed by the society by and large.

The book shows the rebellious avatar of the athor who challenges the tradition. When we talk about gender equality, why should we expect someone to be shy and submissive and someone to take a lead, solely based on his/her gender?

The lights should be dimmed and the
violins should start playing as soon as
I go down on my knees” she instructed
the cafe staff.

The book has some motivational and inspirational lines that you will love to keep with you.

I do not need ghost writers.
I’ll write my own story.

The title of the book comes from the segment that appears towards the end of the book.

“What is the most important lesson that
you have learnt in the company?” the
boss asked the software engineer at her
farewell.
“I have learnt the code for survival.”
“And that is?”

“Screw silence.”

It is all about telling the right things without getting shy.

If I am asked to pick only one segment from the book I will settle down for the following. It holds the truth and conveys the things in a very appropriate manner.

She was raped because:She had dressed inappropriately.
She was drunk.
She was out during the untimely hour of
the night.
Because he raped her.

It is a crime committed by the rapist, and that is the ultimate truth. We need to accept it.

Such hard-hitting yet realistic lines make the book valuable.

The page quality is simply superb. The book is quite costly and it has a target readership. It is not for everyone.

Summary:

Over a nice collection of unstructured stories and thoughts which are often complete in themselves and conveys a very insightful tale with deep meaning. It is not for everyone. You need to read it with a positive attitude and open mind. Go for it only if you like to read such books.

ThinkerViews Rating

Around 6 out of 10 for an average reader, and for the readers who love such kind of reading it is around 7.5 Stars.

If you already have read the book do share your remarks and thoughts via comments below. Does this review help you in making your decision to buy or read the book? Do not forget to share this article with your friends over various social networks via Twitter, Facebook and others. And yes, you may like to subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on various Social networks to get latest updates for the site to land right in your mail box.